President’s Blog

Rev. Arie D. BertschLCMS North Dakota District President

Preach the Word

Pastors are told in 2 Timothy 4:1-5: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: PREACH THE WORD; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

As I travel the North Dakota District visiting congregations on Sundays
and worshiping with them, I have experienced different locations of this
preaching of the Word. Some preach from
the pulpit, some preach from the aisle, some preach from a central podium, and
some preach from down in front of the chancel area. First let me say, preaching from the pulpit
is not a law or a mandate. But it is
about: Location, location, location.

In our churches, the pulpit is slightly elevated (some greatly
elevated), they have good lighting and can be easily seen from all places in
the sanctuary. In preaching from there,
the pastor can be sure that all may see and hear him. By placing himself there, it gives the people
an opportunity to adjust their position in the pew so that they are comfortable
for the hearing of God’s Word that is about to be spoken and so that they can
adjust themselves to see past the person in front of them. I personally do that. I have seen as a pastor; many adjust
themselves so that I maybe couldn’t see them; just in case they were to fall
asleep.

Now, in my opinion, when a pastor preaches from the aisle while moving up and down the aisle, it is hard to get positioned to focus on the preacher. When the pastor preaches from in front of the chancel area, he is down so low in front that you can’t see him over the heads of others that are on that same plane. And, when a pastor preaches from a podium, I see too much of the pastor’s apparel, which usually isn’t covered with an Alb when this procedure is used. So, I do think that location, location, location is important in the preaching of the Word. I do know that the pulpit is also kind of a traditional or a conditional place to hear God’s Word spoken.

I do know that the pulpit is also kind of a traditional or a conditional
place to hear God’s Word spoken. What I
mean by this is that people expect this from the pulpit. We know that’s what goes on there. While Jesus probably did not preach from a
pulpit, we are now conditioned to hear preaching from a pulpit.

There is a piece of artwork that is called “Luther Preaching.” It depicts Martin Luther preaching to the congregation. Between the pulpit and the people stands a cross with a crucified Jesus on it. While Luther is preaching to his hearers, he is pointing to the cross. Luther is directing his hearers to the crucified Christ. What Luther did in his preaching is nothing other than what any other faithful preacher would do, point his hearers not to himself but to Christ and Him crucified. Therefore, many pastors preach from the pulpit, guarded by wood or stone, and wear vestments: to direct the hearers’ attention away from the pastor and toward Jesus. You see the pastor in the pulpit. You hear his voice. Although, the word he proclaims is not his; it is the Lord’s. The Sacraments are not his to administer; they are the Lord’s. The Means of Grace are not the pastor’s playthings to give out willy-nilly. The apostle St. Paul also writes in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.”

The
word mysteries comes from the Greek and can be translated into Latin as “sacramentum,”
from which we get the word “sacrament,” Pastors are stewards—caretakers—of the
Sacraments, as well as the Word of God.
Pastors are to guard and protect the Word of God by their faithful
preaching and teaching.

Guard the good deposit, pastors are told. Preach and teach the Word of God faithfully,
not adding anything to it or taking anything away from it. Preach the Law. Preach the Gospel. Preach repentance. Preach the forgiveness of sins. Preach Christ crucified. Preach the cross.

(C.F.W. Walther writes) “O, glorious
office! [the office of the ministry] No
matter how sick a person may be in his soul; the Gospel can heal him. No matter how deeply a person has fallen into
the corruption of sin, the Gospel can pull him out. No matter how troubled, frightened, and
afflicted a person finds himself, even if he is convinced that he must perish
because of it, the preachers can confidently oppose him, saying: “No, as
certainly as God lives, He does not want the death of any sinner. You shall not perish; instead, you shall be
saved. Turn to Jesus, who can evermore
save all who come to God through Him.”
And if one who lies near death calls out: “God, what have I done? Woe to me!
Now it is too late! I am lost!”
the preachers should call to him, “NO, no, it is not too late! Commit your departing soul to Jesus. You too shall still be with Him in paradise
today.” O, glorious, high office, too
high for angels! May we always hold it
in high regard, not looking at the person who bears it and despising his
weakness but looking instead at the Institutor of this office and His exuberant
goodness. Let us turn to Him in faith so
we can experience the blessings of which the preachers have spoken and, through
them, be gathered together one day into the barns of heaven as a completely
ripe sheaf.”

I am also reminded of what my work is when
I am in the pulpit: to proclaim Law and Gospel in the name of and for the sake
of Jesus Christ. This is a special work. The pulpit puts a location for this special work
for me and for you.

The pulpit also conveys the relationship
between the preacher and the hearer. The
preacher is set apart from the hearer, not because of his person, but because
of his vocation and location. The pastor
is the messenger, prophet, shepherd, in the stead and by the command of
Christ. If you have noticed pastors
preach differently than when they have normal conversation. Preaching is “one” proclaiming to “others”
the Word of God.

That is why the pulpit is elevated because
of what comes from it—the preached Word.
It is the way by which God gives His grace through a voice outside of
the hearer. It comes to you from above.

Location, location, location. There is much to be commended for locating
the preaching of God’s Word in a pulpit.

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Arie Bertsch

LCMS North Dakota District President

The Practice of Closed Communion

Greetings
in the name of our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As I write this
article, the Synod convention has not yet begun. I have just recently returned
from floor committee meetings in St. Louis and am blessed to serve on Floor
Committee 4, which is “Life Together.” We deal with overtures submitted by LCMS
congregations and districts on various items, including “A Faithful Practice of
Holy Communion.” What amazed me is the continued sending of many overtures
dealing with the practice of closed communion. These overtures come because
many are still not practicing what we believe is good and biblical teaching. A
significant issue in the church of this day and age for our pastors is this
practice of closed communion. We educate our youth to be confirmed in the faith
before they receive Holy Communion, and yet many would expect any and all
people to be able to come and receive communion in our churches.

Therefore, the issue is “Why shouldn’t we commune anyone who wants to commune,” and “Why shouldn’t we commune at other churches that are not LCMS?” First, we need to understand what church fellowship is. Churches are in fellowship when they believe, teach, and confess alike the teachings of God’s Word in all its truth and purity. Therefore, any church that has a different understanding of God’s Word (the Bible) — for example, we would say it is the Word of God and others claim it only contains the Word of God — has a different confession of faith. There is a different understanding of the rule and norm of what we believe, teach, and confess. A different confession of faith would be in opposition to God’s Word because it is not with the apostles’ teachings and fellowship. This we would understand from Acts 2:42-44: “ And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.” Some would say Holy Communion is an individual matter between them and God. The Lord’s Supper is not a personal matter, but rather about what we believe, teach, and confess as a church. The Bible teaches us that the church will have hypocrites who inhabit and serve her. There is no way to tell who is a true member and who is not, unless they have the integrity to actually put their theology on the table for discussion. The fact is we cannot see faith; we can only go by what is confessed with the mouth or where the membership is held (each denomination has a confession of what it believes, teaches and confesses).

If
they want to commune while belonging to a different confession of faith, they
either disagree with the teachings of their church or they are playing the
hypocrite at the communion rail. To be a hypocrite is to “playact.” Here, they
are play-acting as if they agree with the teachings of the church in which they
are going to commune. If you join a church at the communion rail that does not
confess the truth of God’s Word, you are saying and confessing that you
actually agree with them and not with the church you belong to; or you are only
“play-acting” so as not to have to make a statement of your faith that is true
from God’s Word. The same is true if we allow those of a different confession
of faith to come and commune at our table. We are allowing them to be
hypocrites, and we also would be hypocritical because we cannot have two
confessions of faith (one true and one false). As Rom. 16:17 reads: “ I appeal
to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create
obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.” In
order to understand all of this better, we need to start with the Fifth Chief
Part of the catechism, the Office of the Keys.

In
John 20, Jesus tells the apostles to forgive and retain sins. Any pastor who
will not take this responsibility seriously should be removed from the Office
of the Holy Ministry, for he is saying that he is willing to do “harm” to souls.
In 1 Cor. 11:29, we hear that people can take the Lord’s Supper to their
“harm.” The King James translation says “damnation”; other versions say
“judgment” and “condemnation.” A loving congregation and pastor would not want
anyone to take this Means of Grace to their “harm.” When a person comes to the
altar to receive communion, they are individually receiving the forgiveness of
sins, which should never be said and proclaimed to someone who denies the
truth, either by their membership and confession of another church body or as a
hypocrite within the church. When the pastor communes someone who he knows does
this “play-acting,” he is confirming them in their error. The church and the
pastor — who is speaking “in the stead and the command” of Christ — are breaking
the Second Commandment and are putting the soul at risk, for they are lying
with God’s name and Word. In summary, we should commune only with those with
whom we share a confession of faith. We can’t see the faith of others, so all
we can go by is their confession of faith with their mouth and the church that
they claim to belong to.

May
we repent of our weakness in our understanding and practice of closed communion
and come to the Lord’s Table to receive what Christ has promised — the
forgiveness of sins. For where there is the forgiveness of sins, there is life
and salvation. What a joy it is to come to the Lord’s Table and have our bodily
senses tell us that we have received what Christ has promised. Our eyes see,
our noses smell, our lips feel, our tongues taste and our ears hear that we
have received what Christ promised: the forgiveness of sins, for life and
salvation.

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Arie Bertsch

LCMS North Dakota District President

The Debt is Gone!

The
title of this July E-News “The Debt is Gone” is meant in two ways. First, the most important, the debt of our
sin is gone through Christ Jesus. Any
sin, no matter what degree we may place on it, either as a little or a large
sin, deserves eternal death from God.
Eternal death means separation from God into eternal pain and gnashing
of teeth and eternal torture in hell.
But Christ Jesus, true God and true man, made payment for sin on the cross
for our sin so that we would not die that eternal death. You see, God has only accepted one commodity
for payment for sin and that is blood.
Blood that was foreshadowed in the blood of sacrifices in the Old
Testament but then fulfilled in Christ Holy Precious Blood on the cross. Therefore, connected to Christ death and
resurrection in Baptism we have eternal life.
Because you can only die once, and Christ died that death for us, we
cannot die the eternal death. Therefore,
“The Debt is Gone.”

The other way the title “The Debt is
Gone” is meant is that in this earthly kingdom the debt of our Synod is gone so
that we may do more freely and willingly the work the Lord has given us to do
spreading the Gospel of Christ Jesus. I
share with you an announcement from Synod:By David Strand

By action of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Board of Directors (BOD) at its May 17 meeting in
St. Louis, the generations-old “historic debt” of the Concordia University
System (CUS) — and of its predecessor, the Board for Higher Education — has
been retired. The arrangements to bring an end to the debt, requiring several
steps over many months, were finalized June 19.

To cover the $13 million outstanding balance — accumulated operating deficits and capital-related debt at the schools — plus a $2 million line of credit extended to Concordia College Alabama in Selma before it closed last year, the BOD used a portion of the income from three sources, all in Asia: (1) the $2.2 million repayment of a startup loan by Concordia International School Hanoi, (2) a $4 million dividend from Concordia International School Shanghai, and (3) a combined $22 million from the sale of three properties in Hong Kong. From the outset of its discussions on how to use the Asia funds, the BOD has stipulated that none of the sales proceeds would go toward day-to-day operating expenses and budget purposes. Rather, the money first would apply to retiring the CUS debt, with the remaining funds allocated for strategic programs, to be designated by the Board, in consultation with its Audit Committee and the Synod’s Operations Team.

With the cloud of debt cleared from the skies, the Synod will save $1.4
million a year in principal and interest payments. This is the first time in living
memory that all Synod indebtedness to external entities stands at zero.

“This is a milestone achievement,” said BOD Chairman Rev. Dr. Michael L.
Kumm, “because paying off the historic debt will free up millions of dollars in
mission and ministry funds for years to come.

“The Board is grateful to all who played a part in bringing this to fruition.
It is a very good day for the church — a great blessing from the Lord.”

‘God has blessed us richly.’

“For the first time in many decades, perhaps in a century, the LCMS has
no external debt,” said LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison. “During
our tenure, God has blessed us richly. We began nine years ago, owing $21
million, and now we owe nothing.”

You may read the rest of this statement at https://blogs.lcms.org/2019/synods-external-debt-is-no-more-a-milestone-achievement

Let
us continue to pray and give thanks to God for “The Debt is Gone” of our sin
and this earthly debt to continue to preach, teach, and confess salvation alone
in Christ Jesus who has removed our debt of sin so that we have the joy of this
life and eternal life.

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Arie Bertsch,

LCMS North Dakota District President

Sing to the Lord!

Greetings in the name of our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Often I am asked the question, “What are you doing these days?” I may answer from the perspective of fun
things or hobby things or things about work.
If I answer on fun things, I would respond about fishing. But I won’t go there here (You might think
they are fish stories; but they would be true fish stories).

What I have been up to pertaining to being District President is a
project of looking at songs used in our North Dakota LCMS congregations that do
not come from the hymnal. As I make
visits to congregations around the District and they use other songs than the
hymns in the LCMS hymnals, I ask for the lyrics and am doing a study on
them. I hope to do a presentation on the
results of this study in about a year.

As I collect these song
lyrics, I am looking at how and why our different hymns are picked and placed
into our hymnals and how we should evaluate songs from other sources. As the ecclesiastical supervisor, it is now
my job to oversee that proper hymnals, catechisms, and literature is being used
in the churches by the congregations and pastors.

Let me begin with 1 Corinthians 14:26: “What then shall we say,
brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of
instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the
strengthening of the church.”

When
looking at a hymn, it naturally will have its own emphases and strengths. Nevertheless, it still should have the main
focus of Christian faith: Jesus and His saving work for us. While a hymn cannot say everything, it is
important for it to say something about God and the Christian faith. A problem with some hymns may be that they
have false teaching, things that are contrary to the Word of God. “A little
leaven leavens the whole lump.” (Galatians 5:9) Another problem with some hymns is that they
don’t say much of anything about Christianity.
It does nothing “for the strengthening of the church.”

Here are a few questions to ask yourself about a hymn to see if it does
or does not proclaim the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ “for the
strengthening of the church”:

Does the hymn present Jesus as the Savior who died for
sinners? Or is the picture of
Jesus merely that of a companion, friend, or model?

Does the hymn proclaim that we are justified before God
only for Christ’s sake? Or is
the main focus, “Jesus and His saving work for us,” absent or
somehow made irrelevant or unclear?

Is the Gospel presented in concrete imagery, drawing on
the biblical witness? Or is the
Gospel presented in abstract terms like, “love,” “joy,” or “peace” without
any concrete connection to the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ?

Does the hymn present good works as a response to the
Gospel? Or are our worksseen
as ends in themselves with the impression given that by them we merit and
are worthy of salvation?

Also, the hymns for a service should have a balance. For example, there are hymns not only of
“praise and adoration” but also of “cross and comfort.”

Here are a few questions to ask yourself about the balance of hymns used
in a service:

Is the Gospel clearly and richly evident in the hymns
each week? Or is the focus
unduly on the Christian’s response?

Is there a balance of hymns in a church service that
both teach and proclaim the contents of the faith as well as give the
people words of thanksgiving and praise? Or is the congregation’s hymns
mostly limited to emotions, entertainment, and performance?

The ideas and thoughts and directions for this article are from a “Commission
on Worship”February 2004, article in the Reporter. There is a book made available by the
“Commission on Worship” called, Text, Music, Context; this is from Concordia Publishing
House, phone: 1-800-325-3040, order no.: S05505. Cost: $6.00 + Shipping and Handling.

I pray and hope this will help you when looking at hymns that are sung
in other churches and the hymns that are in other hymnals and not in ours. Let it be known: Just because a hymn is not
in our hymnal does not mean that it may not be doctrinally sound and that it
could be used in our worship. Also, let
it be known: it takes time for me to ask these very same questions and more
about every hymn that hasn’t been looked at by our church.

Psalm 95:1-7: Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let
us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!2 Let us come into his presence with
thanksgiving;
let
us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!3 For the Lord is a great
God,
and
a great King above all gods.4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the
heights of the mountains are his also.5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and
his hands formed the dry land.

6 Oh
come, let us worship and bow down;
let
us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!7 For he is our God,
and
we are the people of his pasture,
and
the sheep of his hand.

Your servant in the Risen Savior, Jesus Christ,

Rev. Arie D. Bertsch

LCMS North Dakota District President

Don’t forget mom… or Mother Church!

Grace
and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In case you forgot, this month is Mother’s
Day (May 12th). It would
behoove you not to forget. I speak from
experience. My excuse was that as a
pastor (with Sundays being my busiest day of the week) that I once forgot to
call my mother on Mother’s Day. Monday
morning the phone was ringing, and I said to my wife, “Don’t answer it; it’s my
mother calling me for Mother’s Day!” It
was quite evident that mothers stick together; she answered and said, “It’s
your mother!” I was a bad son
(again). The woman who brought me into
this world nurtured and took care of me physically and spiritually I forgot to
call and thank on a special day for her.

And then, on the other hand, in the busyness
of our lives with so many things to do, so many places to go and so many people
to see as we seek to please others, and probably more honestly as we seek to
please and satisfy ourselves, Jesus and the Words of His teaching in Church take
a back seat.

Lost in the busyness of life and trying to
squeeze every drop of pleasure, accomplishment, personal fulfillment, along with
and amid the setbacks and disasters that inevitably confront us in life we may
put aside the more important things like mothers and especially Mother Church.

And sad to say we seldom find joy in the
fact that Jesus is in heaven while we are left behind here in this veil of
tears. No, we look for joy and gladness
almost everywhere else first. Do you
need proof?

Memorial Day is coming soon. What happens to our church attendance as
individuals and as a congregation during the summer months?

Very few congregations even celebrate the
recognition of the Ascension of Our Lord, May 30th, (one of the
great festivals of the church because of its importance in showing the divinity
of Christ) simply because it falls on a Thursday – a day when we have other
things that take precedence.

Think of the many reasons we use to
convince ourselves that it is less than necessary on any given Sunday to attend
church and receive the Sacrament for the forgiveness of our sins and the
strengthening of our faith:

I really need my sleep, it was a tough
week, and Sunday is a day of rest.

It’s the only day I have to do yard work.

Our guests from out of town will only be
here until Sunday afternoon, and we only see them every other year or so.

I can go to church any Sunday, but the
camping/fishing/hunting/football/fill-in-the-blank season only lasts so long.

We need to spend time as a family today.

I can worship God in nature.

You don’t have to go to church to be
saved.

Now please don’t think I am only pointing
fingers, because the truth is, in my own sinfulness and weakness there are Sundays
when the only reason I go is because I FEEL I HAVE to.

Now with Mother’s Day, can you imagine
substituting camping/fishing/hunting/football/fill-in-the-blank for honoring mom,
and telling your mother that you can honor her in those places when she is not
even there? Can you imagine even
thinking you don’t have to have a mother to live?

We need Church as much as a child needs a
mother. She (the Church, the body of
Christ) has begot you through the waters of Holy Baptism, nurtured you with the
Word and Sacrament to sustain, strengthen and maintain your faith through
life. We confess in the Third Article of
the Creed, I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and
the life everlasting.

What this means is: I believe that I cannot
by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him;
but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts,
sanctified and kept me in the true faith.

In the same way, He calls, gathers,
enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it
with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church, He daily and richly
forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day, He will raise me and all the
dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.

The Church is to the baptized, to the
Christian, what a mother is to her children. Let us not fool ourselves dear baptized! We cannot make much of a claim to love Jesus
or His Word when there are so often so many things that we place before Him and
the place where He gives His Word to be publicly proclaimed for the forgiveness
of sins.

But thanks be to God; He loves you and me!
Because in our sin we do NOT love Him as
we could or should. Yet, in Revelation
21:27 we read that our names, “are
written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

This is why God sends His Holy Spirit to
minister to us in Word and Sacrament to wash us clean and give to us again
everything we need for our salvation and the building up of our faith so that
we may be made holy for Him and His eternal kingdom.

And rather than leave us convicted of our
lack of love and obedience, He leaves us forgiven. “Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and
do not be afraid.” John 14:27

This peace He gives through His Holy
Christian Church, the mother of all believers. For Christ’s church is a revelation of heaven
on earth. Christ’s church is even today,
as Revelation tells us it will plainly be at the resurrection of dead, where
even now, “it’s lamp is the Lamb,
the light by which people from all nations walk with God, where Jesus is the
gate that is always open, and where there is no night.” Rev. 21:23-24

So, whether you are coming or going, God
is here to forgive, renew and lead you, and is with you always in His Church,
the mother of all believers, even to the end of the age.

Happy
Mother’s Day mom and Church!

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Arie D. Bertsch

LCMS North Dakota District President

Late Easter… Early Easter

Throughout my two decades of pastoral ministry, the question has often
come to me, “Why is Easter on a different date every year? Why don’t we just
keep it at the same time every year?”

The calculations behind the date
of Easter are somewhat complicated. In the Early Christian Church (first
through fourth centuries) the date followed the Old Testament Passover
celebration, which was to be celebrated on the 14th of the month of Nisan.
Easter followed this time of celebration, because it was on the Passover that
Jesus, like the lamb in the Old Testament
Passover meal, was sacrificed.
The 14th of Nisan reoccurs several other times throughout
the Old Testament, but for our interest in this article, this date marked the
time of Passover from which the Israelites began their Exodus from Egypt into
the Promised Land: “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall
keep it as a feast to The Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe
it as an ordinance forever.” — Ex. 12:14 RSV

By the 3rd century the Church, which
had become dominated by gentiles, sought to distinguish itself more
intentionally from Jewish practices. It was at that time that church leaders
began talking about changing the day of the Easter celebration, so that Easter would be celebrated “not with the Jews”
— that is, not on the 14th of Nisan.

Looking at the verse emboldened above, one might argue that we should
still be celebrating Easter on that day (as many do try to emphasize) or three
days after.

But looking at Col. 2:16-17, we see that the Old Testament festival was
ultimately a foreshadowing of what was to come and now fulfilled in Jesus
Christ: “Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard
to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a
shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in
Christ.”

Thus we have the freedom to celebrate Holy Week and Easter when we wish,
although it is still good to remember the Old Testament foreshadowing to the
New Testament fulfillment in Christ.

In
the front of our hymnal (p. xxiii), Lutheran Service Book (LSB), we read: “Easter
Day is always the Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or after the spring
equinox on March 21. This full moon may happen on any date between March 21 and
April 18 inclusive.

If the full moon falls on a Sunday,
Easter Day is the Sunday following. Easter Day cannot be earlier than March 22
or later than April 25.”

Here are some interesting facts about this lunar-based formula for
Easter scheduling: Easter has not fallen on the earliest of the 35 possible
dates, March 22, since 1818, and will not do so again until 2285. It will,
however, fall on March 23 in 2008, and again in 2160.

Easter last fell on the latest possible date, April 25, in 1943 and will
next fall on that date in 2038. However, it fell just one day before the latest
possible date, on April 24, in 2011. The cycle of Easter dates repeats exactly
every 5,700,000 years, with April 19 being the most common date, happening
220,400 times, or 3.9 percent, compared to an average for all dates of 162,857
times, or 2.9 percent.

It would sure seem to make sense that we would celebrate Easter on the
same day every year, but traditions are hard to break. Personally, I like it different every year, because it makes it
more difficult for people to plan it as only another vacation day (some would
do that, maybe you?) rather than as the celebration of the Resurrection of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

While you wait for Easter, take advantage of the Lenten Season mid-week church services and see the Lord Jesus approach Calvary’s Hill to suffer and die for your sins. Lent enlivens the rest of the year as we celebrate every Sunday in the Resurrection of Jesus, showing that He has conquered sin, death, and the devil for you. As Paul says in Rom. 6:3-5: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.”

In your baptism, you have been connected to Christ’s death and resurrection and have, with Him, conquered death. In other words, Christ has died the death that your sin deserved and you won’t die a death of separation from God. Because Christ has defeated the grave and risen from the dead, so shall you. That is why we celebrate Easter — on April 21, and every Sunday! He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Arie D. Bertsch

LCMS North Dakota District President

Transfiguration

The Bible records a lot of big things
happening on high mountains. Such as, Noah’s ark landed on Mt. Ararat, and
there God promised never again to flood the entire earth. Abraham climbed a hill with his son Isaac
where God provided a sacrifice. Moses
climbed Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. If you haven’t already you will hear the
account of The Mount of Transfiguration.
A big thing also happens at this Transfiguration. Jesus is
transfigured. His clothes become radiant. It shows that He is not just another
man. Yes, He is fully human, but He’s
also fully God. Before Peter, James, and
John, Jesus gives them a brief glimpse of His heavenly divine glory.

Another big thing that happened there was
that Moses and Elijah are there. We know
from the Gospel of Luke that they’re talking about Jesus exodus from this earth
and His work. These greatest of prophets
from the Old Testament are there to point again to Jesus, as they had done so
many years earlier. Peter, James, and
John witness that Jesus is more than just another prophet: He’s the Messiah
whom the prophets foretold was coming.

That’s not all: God the Father overshadows
them in a cloud and speaks: “This is My
beloved Son. Listen to Him!” In a glorious and thunderous way, that
complements Jesus’ radiant appearance; God
declares that Jesus is His beloved Son, sent by the Father to do the Father’s
will of salvation. Peter, James, and
John get a glimpse of heavenly glory.
They have normally seen Jesus as an ordinary and humble human being
going about His work. But here, for a
brief time, they see Him glorious as He will soon be sitting glorious on the throne in heaven. It’s only a glimpse though; glory like this
is the stuff of holy heaven, not sinful earth.
God the Father recedes and the
prophets disappear, leaving only the very ordinary-looking human Jesus standing
in front of three bewildered disciples.

You’ve heard God’s Word on this. Now we must ask the question, “So what?” Why is Jesus transformed? Why then?
And why in front of Peter, James and John?

We don’t know all of the reasons why, but we do know some. Jesus has already begun to tell the disciples
that He is going to save the world not by a glorious triumph, but by His death
on the cross.

His enemies have already begun to plot His
death, and He is on His way to be crucified. Before Peter, James, and John see Him on the
cross as the weakest and most condemned man on earth, they see Him transfigured
and divine.

But it’s a brief glimpse of Jesus’
heavenly glory. From here the disciples
will see Jesus rejected, arrested, tried, and crucified, with no glory to be seen.
They’ll see Him risen from the dead, and they’ll watch Him ascend into
heaven; but there is no more radiant, intense, and dazzling white that the
Scriptures record for us. After He’s
ascended, they’ll go and proclaim the Gospel.
Yes, the Church will grow as people are baptized and instructed; just as
it does today. In the meantime, the
disciples will face setback, suffering,
and even death themselves. Life on this
sinful earth will be like it always is:
no heavenly glory, but labor and trouble, and yet hope. Why hope?
Because of what the Father said at the Transfiguration: “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him.” Long after the glory is disappeared, the disciples will still have Jesus’ Word. Even though they won’t see more glory in this
world, they have God’s Word that heaven is theirs. They have God’s Word that they’ll see His
glory again.

Well and good it was for Peter, James, and John; but once again we must ask, “So
what?” So what does this mean for you
and me?

To answer that question, remember that the
disciples had the joy of witnessing Jesus’ glory at the Transfiguration before
proclaiming it. You weren’t on the
mountain that day, and you don’t get to see Jesus’ dazzling glory on this side
of heaven unless He returns soon. But
you have something better: you have Jesus’ Word. Although you haven’t seen the Transfiguration
with your eyes, you’ve heard the Transfiguration with your ears.

There are two basic ways to do theology; either a theology of glory or a theology of the cross. If you’re into a theology of glory, you go by
what you see. You go by what you
feel. You look for God in glorious things
on earth, such as beautiful sunsets, good
health, and exciting experiences. That
is when worship is only about excitement and motivation.

If you’re from a theology of the cross,
you operate differently. You see the
cross in a different light. At the
cross, the Lord won salvation even though it didn’t look glorious. His power and glory were hidden under suffering and death. You trust that Jesus’ death is your salvation
not because it looked good, but because you hear in His Word that it was there
that Christ saved you. Hearing His Word,
you don’t look for God to act in glorious ways.
You look for God to work in ways where His glory is hidden, such as the
cross. Also,
consider Holy Baptism and Holy
Communion. They don’t look glorious, but those are Sacraments in which God
gives you forgiveness for all of your sins.
It may not feel exciting; but there is forgiveness, life, and salvation
there.

So as Christians in this world, as
theologians of the cross, dear people don’t go on with your eyes. Even at the Transfiguration, God the Father
said, “Listen to Him!” not “See Him”
nor “Look at the under-shepherd I have sent you.” Trust the Lord’s Word in spite of who brings
it or who or what you see. Simply know
that the Lord has plans for you; plans for a
future and a hope.

And frankly, there will be times each day,
or days and days, when you fail to live under the cross; when you give into this temptation or that one, when you
cling to false glories of the world rather than God’s grace, when you fail to
speak grace to your family, when you despair instead of rejoice. It will be no
different as long as you’re in this inglorious world. But repent;
and rejoice that you are not forsaken. The glorious Son of God became flesh in this
world to deliver you to heaven. In that
flesh and blood, He went to another
mountain, Mount Calvary to make payment for your sin.

You don’t see His glory, but you hear of
His grace as you listen and hear His Word.
For now, you live by faith on earth by what you hear and not by what you
see or who you see; but you will see in heaven: You will see your Savior face
to face and join all those who have gone before you in the faith. In other words, please remain listening to
Jesus so that we will all be transfigured from our lowly bodies to a
glorious body because of Jesus who has forgiven you all your sins so that you
have life and salvation [already now] by the Word you have heard no matter
whose mouth it has come from.

I look forward to seeing you in heaven; if not
before.

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Arie D. Bertsch

LCMS North Dakota District President

He First Loved Us

So, what could, should, or would I write about in February? Bear with me as I think out loud.

Let’s see, those of you in the One Year Lectionary will celebrate “The Transfiguration of Our Lord” this month; whereas those in the “Three Year Lectionary” will celebrate “the Transfiguration of the Lord” next month, therefore, I will skip that topic. (I may have stirred your mind as to what I am talking about with these “lectionaries.” If I have, please talk to your pastor to explain it. Or stay tuned for another time that I may talk about it.)

Another thing that I could, should, or would write about that happens in February is “Valentine’s Day.” Now, that may be considered to be a civil holiday; generally focused on our love to those closest to us. But I think I will go with that.

To stimulate this thought on “Valentine’s Day” let me start by asking the old-old question: Which came first the chicken or the egg? This seems to be a major philosophical question to many. Since God created the animals in His six-day creation, I’d say, “the chicken.”

How about this one? Which came first – God’s love for us or our love for God? Take your time, think about it; don’t answer too quickly.

There are a lot of people out there who say you have to decide to follow Jesus. They say that you have to come to a point in your life where you accept Jesus into your heart and life. This would mean, then, wouldn’t it – that our love for God comes first?

But then again, there are some that say, “well, there’s a little good in everyone, and at a certain time in someone’s life they begin following and believing in Jesus.” This would mean, then, wouldn’t it – that our love for God comes first?

Or, how about this one! Be careful;
this one’s a little trickier. Some say God comes down to meet us halfway, but until we have the urge or desire
to grasp His hand, we are not saved.
Even if we have some part
in God loving us, could this be interpreted that our love for God comes first?
Well, none of
the above is what the Bible says. As a
matter of fact, the Bible is very clear: “We love because He first
loved us” (1 John
4:19).

Let’s
go back our worship practice in our church services where we confess that we are
poor miserable sinners. In that statement, we are confessing that there is no
life, no good, and no love in us at
all! The Catechism is correct – we are dead! Blind! And
enemies of God! Not only do we not love God, but we also don’t want to love God! Our sinful nature is
continually and always persistently rebellious against God – and that puts us
in an awful spot! No one is exempt.
As we confess in the meaning of the Third Article of the Apostles’
Creed: “I believe that I cannot by my own
reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the
Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts,
sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”
But don’t fret. God does love us.
God loves you.
His love is sacrificial. His love is not
a Valentine’s heart full of chocolates.
His love is that His heart stopped beating in His own death in order to give us
eternal life with Him. His love is not a
Valentine’s card sent from heaven, but God Himself comes to earth to
take our place as sinners in order to
make us perfect and righteousin
God’s sight. His love is not a Valentine’s
romantic dinner for two with wine and flowers. His love is the giving of
His flesh and blood in the Lord’s Supper where He feeds us the forgiveness of
sins and eternal life.

God
really does love us! And He loved
us first!

As God puts Himself inside of us as His Word enters our ears and His Meal enters our mouths – Love now lives in us because God is love. Now, if Love lives in us, Love lives through us. This love is lived out toward our neighbor. This love is lived out toward our boyfriend or girlfriend, our fiancé, husband, or wife. For that matter, our love is lived out toward everyone whom we see and with whom we interact. Therefore, Christians love – because God loved us first.

May you hear more about this Love as we
enter the season of Lent! Have a blessed month (and Valentine’s Day) in
God’s Love!

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Arie D. Bertsch

LCMS North Dakota District President

Happy New Year! What’s Your Resolution?

For many,
the New Year is a time for a fresh start.
Some people have made lists of things to change or to accomplish in the
New Year. Others have simply thought it
over and have a strategy and plan to turn in a new and better direction. How about you? What’s your resolution?

Is there some bad habit you want to break
and leave behind? Is there some better
habit you wish to form? Are you going to
quit your gossiping and putting the worst construction on everything and everybody
and, instead, start speaking well of everybody and putting the best construction
on all things? Some have had a bad year
and are just looking for a new year. You
are not alone. For some reason, a New Year gives us the sense of a
fresh start and more promising future.

But, unfortunately, we are often setting ourselves up for disappointment and a
dream. I have quit making resolutions
because by February I have failed and my resolution has just become a nagging
reminder of how difficult it is to change myself. Can you relate to that?

Last year, many of us maybe hoped we would
slow down and spend more time with family and friends. But we didn’t. We thought we would be in better shape, lose
some weight, quit a bad habit, get out of debt, and get organized. But we failed. Instead, we’re more disappointed than ever.

And
frankly speaking, these are the small things.
The things that we at least have a chance, that we are at least
theoretically capable, of improving somewhat.
The bigger things that need to be changed
we can’t change at all. This year, last
year, every year we’re on earth, we’re sinful.
By nature, we’re sinful through and through. Try as we might; resolve as we might, we
can’t do anything about that. On our
own, we are only self-centered, egotistical, and arrogant. No resolution of ours is ever going to change
that.

Many of the things we’d like to change
about ourselves are good and worthy of the effort. But St. Paul offers us the best resolution we
can have in Romans 8:38, its St. Paul’s resolution.

St. Paul says, “For I am convinced (NIV).” Or, I am sure (ESV). The Greek word used could also be translated, “I am resolved.” About what is
Paul resolved?

Paul’s resolution is not about
himself. It’s about his Lord. It’s a resolution of faith. He resolves
that there is no safer place than the love of God. It’s a growing trust in a loving Savior for
whatever may come along. He is resolved that nothing can surpass,
overpower, or destroy the love God has for us.
“For I am sure,” resolved,
convinced, Paul says, “that neither death
nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any
powers, neither height or depth, nor
anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Paul
resolves that God is for us! Our
enemies don’t stand a chance. He boasts,
“If God is for us who can be against
us.” All these enemies of this world
are being mocked. So resolved is he, that he doesn’t even
expect an answer. “Who can be against us?” No
one or anything like illness or even death is of any significance or is a real
threat if God is on our side. God has
not held back any of His resources and/or
power—He has sent His Son for us all. He
died for us. He was raised for us. The
Gospel declares us innocent for His sake.

Paul tells us to be sure, to be resolved,
to be convinced, to stand firm, in Christ and say to our accusers, “Your
condemnation, your charges against me, a child of God—they mean nothing. Your voice carries no weight in the courtroom
of God’s justice. God the Judge has
cleared me of the guilt of my sins. I
have been declared ‘not guilty’ by the One mouth that matters.”

So confident of this reality, Paul is not
troubled over the suffering and death we experience in this life. He asks, “Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble, or hardship, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or
danger or sword?”

Paul is persuaded, convinced, sure,
resolved that the love of God through Jesus Christ is what the whole world
needs. It is the love of God that
brought the Son of God to humanity. It
has bridged the gap between man and God.
It is the love of God that caused His Son to endure death on the cross
with joy for your salvation. It is the
love of God that caused Him to be raised
from the dead as a pledge and guarantee of your eternal life.

Paul’s resolution is grounded on God’s resolution for us. It’s a resolution in the love of God that has
already defeated our sin and weaknesses.
It has already defeated death. It
has already claimed eternal victory for you.
Can anything we face in this life finally defeat us? Paul’s answer is a resounding, No! He boldly proclaims, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who
loved us.”

Sure, we face trials and
tribulations. But we have something even
more awesome, even more powerful than all
the forces of hell—the love of God in Christ Jesus. It is Jesus, your Savior, who made the
greatest resolution in all eternity; His love for you. His love has never failed. His plan to make you His own has never been forgotten.
He resolves to unite you to God
and one another forever.

In
John’s Gospel, we hear the Lord’s determination. We hear His resolution for us in His own
words. He says, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one can
snatch them out of my hand.”

The Father is
resolved; He sent His only Son to secure you unto life everlasting. The Son is
resolved; He lived, died, rose, and intercedes for you even now. The Holy Spirit is resolved; He creates and strengthens faith in you through Word
and Sacrament. He secures you in the
Gospel. The Triune God’s grip on you is
infinitely sure. He is resolved never to
let you go. Even though you face a New
Year of challenges ahead, you need not
despair. It is His resolution for you
that really counts! You can bank on that. And not just for a New Year, but for
eternity!

Our resolution, then, is not the one we
make, and fail to keep, but the one that God has made for us.

We begin this New Year confident,
convinced, and sure of God’s resolution—“that
neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the
future, nor any powers, neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the
love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amen.

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Arie D. Bertsch

LCMS North Dakota District President

From the Desk of the District President…

Peace to You

Merry Christmas and peace to you! And I pray that this is what you experience this month as we celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus our Savior and that brings you peace!

The reality for many people (and maybe you) is that you would rather say “Bah Hum Bug.” With all that goes on during this month of December with preparing for Christmas with family getting together and meal preparations and gift purchases and office parties you probably get to the point of wanting to say “Bah Hum Bug.” It is just so easy to be dragged away from the real meaning of Christmas, and you end up with no peace.

My goal for you is to bring you the refreshing peace that we all need in this time of the year. I bring you the one sentence sermon of the angels from Luke 2:14: ‘‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.”

In this one sentence long sermon the angels are able to sum up all of the Old Testament. Oh, how sure I am, that the Lord’s people I was privileged to serve with Word and Sacrament over the years would have wished that I could and would have given a sentence long sermon; let alone the whole Old Testament! What a piece of art and a peace it would be indeed because it would be short!

It is God’s desire that there be peace on earth. Peace among the nations of the world and peace among people. It is not God’s will and desire when neighbors do not get along together, when husband and wife are at each other’s throats, when children quarrel with each other, when Christians don’t work and live together in brotherly and sisterly love and when we get overwhelmed with preparations for the peace that God has given. This peace is something that we as individuals work on by the Holy Spirit working in us.

But God has in mind a totally different peace when He sends the Prince of Peace into the world. This peace to men is much higher and a much more noble peace. This peace to men is a spiritual peace; a peace that is between God and man.

Looking at these angels one sentence sermon we first see that thanks and praise is being sung to God because of the peace to men being restored. Peace that was lost from the beginning of time by Adam and Eve is now being taken care of by God. There is going to be peace and communion again between God and people; peace that Adam and Eve had before Satan deceived them and all mankind fell into sin. Because of that original sin, that we are all born into and have, there has been death. Also, because of sin, there was and is no longer any peace with God without Jesus Christ.

God wanted peace again and sent His Son to be born among men. To have flesh and blood, that He received from the Virgin Mary. By that little Child in Bethlehem’s manger God makes peace with us; because, behind the manger is the cross. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.” That was to be the work of this Child: To take upon Himself your and my sins and the sins of the world and by His death on the cross He would bridge the conflict that separated us from God. That is the peace that He brings. Now God is no longer angry with us. He is at peace with us and asks us to be at peace with Him by believing on Jesus who was born that first Christmas Day.

Are you at peace with God? You are, if with a humble heart your spirit kneels at the manger and you trust in Jesus Christ as Your Savior. Consider looking at the church as the manger that you like a beast come to feed upon Word and Sacrament. Peace can be lost in this world with all its false hopes of peace, when you are not feeding your soul.

Did you realize that we hear the “angel’s sermon of peace to men” in our worship at church? We call it the “Hymn of Praise” or the “Gloria in Excelsis.” The angels preached and sang this glory of peace to the whole earth. And we sing it with the angels throughout the year with the angels present during our worship time, even though we sing it out of tune or with raspy, rough voices.

The theme of their song is that the Savior promised for so long has come, He is Christ the Lord, and lies in a manger. The Savior comes as a baby. Not only that, this baby’s birth is for the glory of God. Their sermon was not intended to instruct us about things that we have to do to be saved; rather, it was what God was going to do. For, “God so loved the world that He sent is one and only Son, that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life,” all glory will go to God. In other words, the angels declare that because this little Child lies in a manger, God will be glorified and praised; because everything the prophets foretold will now come to be. Such as, “the seed of the woman will crush Satan’s head” and defeat sin, death, and the power of the grave. Also, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” which means God with us, and “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us PEACE was upon him, and by his wounds, we are healed.”

With the angel’s sermon, we are able to know, trust, and believe what God has done by sending His Son. So then, why isn’t there peace on earth? Because, people do not recognize or believe this sermon by the angels! They are without Christ. They only hear the devil’s sermon, which says, “Gobble away here, guzzle there, steal here, fornicate there, hate here, murder there, and so on. Therefore, there is violence everywhere; everyone is seeking to be number one by working for money, goods, honor, and power. Often when a laborer has money, a student has intelligence, an employer has property, a president has power, a woman has a fashionable dress, a young girl has fancy boots or a stylish skirt, they want to be fussed over like a god, rather than giving glory to God. It shows that they are focused on themselves and (at least momentarily) without Christ and don’t care to know Him.

The angel’s sermon turns all this around. It takes away all that we are and have and shows us that we do have peace, not with earthly things, but with what God has sent from heaven, namely, His Son, of which the angels preached about. People who believe in this Child will not only give God glory in all things but also themselves will be kind and loving to others because of the kindness and love of God to give them peace on earth.

This peace will assure all men of the goodwill of the Father in heaven with the Babe in the Manger. This is so that we would have a happy and joyous courage against all suffering which may happen to us; so that we may say to the devil, “You can’t make life so evil or bad that you spoil my joy in this Child of Peace. He gives me more joy than any sorrow that you can bring on me.

Dear Christian friends, remember, the angels said, “a Savior has been born to you.” He came to bring you peace, peace with God. When you have this peace, then all is well between God and you. Your sin can no longer condemn you. All other problems in life will work out to the good of those who love God and His peace, in the Prince of Peace. When life is over, you shall be with Jesus in glory.

Why can you be happy and at peace today? The Holy Child was born. God’s angels proclaimed that birth. God’s will and desire of peace was revealed in flesh and blood. “Glory to God in the highest! Peace to you on whom His favor rests!”

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Arie D. Bertsch

ND Dist. President

______________________________________________________

The Communion of Saints

There is another holiday in November besides Thanksgiving. It is the church festival of “All Saints Day” which is November 1. In order to understand “All Saints Day,” you have to first understand the “Communion of Saints.”

So, I start there: The Communion of Saints spans two different worlds. Here on this earth, the Communion of Saints struggles with life in this sin-soaked world. We are the Church Militant. Even though Jesus has defeated Satan with His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, Satan still fights and the Church Militant is the battlefield. We continuously look to our Champion, Jesus Christ to give us the victory.

Then there is the Church Triumphant gathered at the throne of the Lamb, “the ones who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” They are in Paradise. They are without sin, without hunger, without misery, without tears, and without death itself. And the one called the Lamb is their Shepherd – who leads His own lambs to living fountains of water. All memory of pain, death, sin, sickness, poverty, hunger, persecution, and hatred are wiped from their eyes along with their tears.

Even though this church spans two worlds, there are not two churches: one here on earth and another in heaven. Rather we “believe in one holy Christian and apostolic church.”(from the Nicene Creed). The oneness of the church is not destroyed even by the separation of death. For where Jesus is, there are the saints – those here on earth, and those who have “come out of the great tribulation” of life in this world. The church on earth and the church in heaven unite around the throne of God and in the presence of the Lamb.

When we gather around the altar for Holy Communion, or Saintly Communion, we know that our deceased relatives and friends who have likewise “washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb” are right there with us. When we sing “Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,” we sing along with the countless Christians of every age. When we sing “Holy, holy, holy,” we do so with billions of the faithful from every time and place. And when we come for the body and blood of the Lord, we are united with those whom we wish we could speak to, but can’t. We join with those whom we love but can no longer embrace. We are not only in the presence of Jesus, but are also surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses; this host arrayed in white, those who fall on their faces night and day before the Lord Himself.

And so, it is proper that we praise God for the men and women of faith whose works of love inspire us and set an example of the godly Christian life for us. It is appropriate that we honor the work that God has done in their lives to give them the true saving faith. It is also appropriate that we honor the work that God has done through their lives to affect the lives of the people around them. It is appropriate that we honor those who have preceded us into the Church Triumphant.

For when we honor the redeemed, we are also honoring the Redeemer. The saints who are holy in God’s eyes testify to the only One who is eternally holy: our Lord Jesus Christ. It is His blood that covers our sin and allows us to stand in His presence. It is being baptized into His death that gives us a white robe. It is His Word and Sacraments that usher us into the throne room where we will never again suffer or be unhappy.

Living above with saints we love, that will be grace and glory; but living below with saints we know, that is a different story. Life in this world is hard. We live in the great tribulation. Although we are saints in God’s eyes, we still sin. The battle with sin rages around us and in us. So, what shall we do while we wait for our turn to leave the battle of this world and enter the rest our Savior has prepared for us? We continually focus on the cross through hearing God’s Word and receiving the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.

For, Jesus Christ, our Savior promises never to leave us or forsake us. Though we live in a mortal body decaying with sin, these bodies will be raised and made new. Though our worship is imperfect, it will be perfected. Though our voices crack and squeak, they will one day sing in perfect harmony with angels. Though we’re tired and distracted, hungry and bored, we will one day be so alive and filled with joy that we will never grow weary of joining this great crowd in heaven, singing and praising God.

You see, by faith in Jesus Christ, you are already saints, holy ones, children of God. By His death on the cross, the Lord Himself clothed you with His righteousness, and through His resurrection He will one day shepherd you to everlasting life. In that blessed place, you will experience the eternal joy of God’s presence along with the rest of the Communion of Saints.

To relate the significance of this I share this event with you:

I once had a married couple, in their 50’s, who were faithful in their church attendance. Suddenly the husband was struck by a terminal illness. After he had died, I noticed that his wife was no longer coming to the Lord’s Table for Holy Communion. After this happened several times when the Lord’s Supper was offered, and she did not come forward I asked her what was going on. She said, “My husband and I always did that together, and I can’t get myself to go alone.” I then explained to her that this is the time when she could actually be the closest to him until she joins him in heaven.

For, there is a lot happening during the Lord’s Supper. We’re not the only ones at the Lord’s Table. The communion liturgy has a phrase in it, “Therefore, with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name.” Notice there is all the company of heaven. You are kneeling on this side of the communion rail but on the other side is all the company of heaven. They are all those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Everyone who has died and walked into the glories of heaven by faith in the Lamb is joining us at this Table.

A saint is not someone who is nicer or more religious than anyone else. A saint is someone who is on the most important list of all, the Lamb’s Book of Life. The saints are those both dead and alive who have been forgiven by Christ Jesus. The Lamb’s Book of Life is a book with the names of all those who you knew who have died in the faith of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

All praise and glory and honor to the Lamb who has written your name in His Book of Life. The Lamb’s Book of Life is His promise that you and the whole company of heaven, including those who you knew and know, and who you loved and love the most, will be praising and glorifying the Lamb with you in that incredible place of light and safety and beauty forever.

There is yet one more thing that needs to be stated about those who have departed in faith and are around the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Over and over again I hear in music, in poetry (and sadly, often on the obituary folder), and from believers the idea that those who have departed are looking down on us. THIS IS NOT TRUE! They are in heaven, protected from all of this on earth. Where their souls are until Judgment Day, the Bible assures us that they have no more pain or sorrows or tears. If they were able to look down on us, they would be sad to see us sad at their death and departure from us. Also, they would be sad to see us sinning and jeopardizing our chances of being with them in heaven for eternity. Even though we do not pray for them, they are in heaven praying for us (Apology of the Augsburg Confession, 230:9) [along with the angels (Zechariah 1:12), Jesus (Romans 8:34), and the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26)] but they are protected from anything that would make them sad and shed a tear.

May these truths bring you great joy about your loved ones now with the Communion of Saints until you join them also in great joy!

Your servant in Christ,Rev. Arie BertschND District President

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Faith and Thanksgiving

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.“Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage.”This ditty comes to mind when I think about things being linked together. Next month we celebrate Thanksgiving. Therefore, I would link together the words: Faith and Thanksgiving.When I was growing up one of the most important rules in our house was the “thank you” rule.I would venture to guess that your families and mine have this in common. Gratitude is something we learn as we grow, and expressing gratitude is just as important as feeling it.Over the years of ministry, on the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving, I would tell the congregation members that they would want to get to church early on Thanksgiving day so that they will have “their place” or “a place” to sit due to everyone coming to church to give thanks to God. For, how else would you celebrate the day?You see, in order to say “thank you,” you need to be thanking someone for something. You don’t just sit around alone in your room saying “thank you” to nothing and no one in particular. Or do you?For most Americans, Thanksgiving is a day set aside for us to give thanks to God for our many blessings. Faith knows that God blesses us with all the blessings we have in this life and in the future life which is ours already by the faith God has given in the Savior from sin, Jesus Christ. They are absolutely linked together.The Christian faith is about our rescue from sin and death and hell. Being a Christian – or believing in God – is not a defining characteristic of wealth, or success in the world, or health, or un-interruptible happiness in this world. Faith in the Gospel and believing in Jesus Christ is the way of life eternal, for it receives the blessings which Jesus procured for us by His life and death in our place, and His resurrection to new and everlasting life (of which we are baptized into, Romans 6:4-6).Christians still have to deal with this world and ordinary life in it, troubles and all. We just get to have the advantage of knowing how the story ends – or that it does not end, to be more precise. Some of us believers will be wealthy, and some of us will be poor. Some of us will be giddy with happiness most of the time and others will wrestle with troubles and sorrows, and even depression, most of the time. Some of us will be so healthy that when we die it will be of nothing serious, and others will fight bad health for decades before they pass on. And some of us will not have long lives at all, at least on this side of the grave.But every single believer has the forgiveness of sins. Each one of us, without fail, will rise from our graves and join with the family of God in paradise, to sing God’s praises of thanksgiving throughout eternity. And while we live here, we know that God loves us and that we can call on Him for help, for rescue, for strength, for comfort in our troubles.Many Christians seem to be looking for something that will help them overcome all obstacles in this world. But the Gospel never makes that promise. God does help us in times of need, but not always in the way we start out with hoping He will. Sometimes He has something better in mind. Sometimes He teaches us patience and humility. Now and then, He even shares with our hearts the secret that winning or losing in this world is not truly significant. Standing faithfully, however, is.If we believe that we have nothing to worry about, but that the grave is but a door to fuller and richer and happier life, and all of that is true because of Jesus, and that God loves us with a deep and powerful and everlasting love, then we just want to rejoice and give thanks! Today is the day that the Lord has made – and given to us as a gift. It cannot hurt us, for He is our Shield and Protector. Let us rejoice and give thanks! Faith and thanksgiving go together.My point today is that faith and thanksgiving are linked. If you believe God is concerned about you, and watching over you, and that He has saved you, you will be brought to give thanks. You will want to give thanks. No matter what happens, God is with you to keep you. When everyone says that it is all over, with you, it will just be beginning, for God has given you eternal life because of Jesus Christ. Sickness can only do so much, and then it must let go. Only so much can go wrong, and then you will be standing with the Lord. Even when it looks like you are beaten, you win, because Jesus has already won and given you the victory. All that is left for you to do is give thanks!But you can only honestly do that if you sincerely believe it. If it isn’t real to you, then there will be nothing particularly worthy of genuine thanksgiving. If church, for example, is just to help you feel good, then feeling good is all that you should expect. But if you know the truth, you should be comforted even when you don’t feel so hot. And you should know the love of God – the love which He has for you – which gives you not just comfort, but hope even in difficult situations!When trouble cannot do any real damage, you just want to give thanks! When danger cannot really hurt you, you just want to give thanks! When sickness can no longer really frighten you, you just want to give thanks! When you believe that the world is stacked to your advantage by the great love of God, you want to give thanks. Faith and thanksgiving go together naturally. It is the work of the Spirit and the clear will of God.Like love and marriage, faith and thanksgiving just naturally go together!

“Rejoice always! Pray without ceasing! In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16).”

Happy Thanksgiving!Your servant in Christ,Rev. Arie Bertsch

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LSSND as RSO of the LCMS

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you are like me, you do not care for acronyms. And here I title this article with acronyms. Please forgive me!

Acronyms do make for easier writing and reading if you can keep the acronyms straight in your head as you write and read. (LSSND) stands for Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota. (RSO) stands for Recognized Service Organization. (LCMS) stands for The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Therefore, the title means: Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota as a Recognized Service Organization of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.

This is the definition of an RSO from the LCMS website: “To extend its mission outreach, education and social ministry, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod works with independent Recognized Service Organizations (RSOs) that agree to ensure their programs are in harmony with the doctrine and practice of the LCMS.” And: “Recognized Service Organizations (RSOs) are 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations that are independent of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, but they operate ministry programs that foster the mission and ministry of the church. RSO organizations reach out in mercy and love to meet the needs of those who are suffering, poor, sick or lonely. They address human, social, economic, educational, and spiritual needs.”

Now, to the point of this article: The North Dakota District of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod HAS BEEN (notice: the past tense; more about this later) working in conjunction with Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota for decades. A little of the history (that I know) of that partnership is that a former district president was the chairman of the board of directors of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota. Also, a former business manager for the district and a district pastor were quite involved with the housing portion of LSSND.

The Board of Directors (BOD) for LSSND is comprised of the bishop and two members from the East Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) of North Dakota, the bishop and two members of the West Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) of North Dakota, and the District President (or his appointment) and one member of the North Dakota District of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Therefore, the West ELCA had three (3) BOD members, the East ELCA had three (3) BOD members, and the LCMS North Dakota District had two (2) BOD members.

Now, for the HAS BEEN: The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod’s Recognized Service Organization requirements are that we have an equal voice on the board of directors of an RSO. Therefore, LSSND was being asked to add another LCMS member to its board. That was causing some strife to the LSSND BOD because of the lack of financial support from the LCMS members and churches. The East and West ELCA churches and its members contributed $510,546 in the 2016-2017 year and the LCMS in the same year contributed $7082. What I saw was that even with strong participation on the BOD of LSSND by influential members of the ND District LCMS over the years our financial support was low; thus telling me that our congregations, members, and pastors were not in support of this and it wasn’t fair to LSSND for us to expect more BOD participation.

Next, dealing with some theological issues: LSSND stated that they are supportive of life and of husband and wife (male and female) and do not encourage abortion or same-sex adoption. However, they do take government funding and have to offer those services if they are asked.

Also, there has been discussion “to leave open the concept of embracing our full communion partners (defined as “those denominations the ELCA develops a relationship with based on a common confessing of the Christian Faith and a mutual recognition of Baptism and sharing of the Lord’s Supper”) to work together on projects of mutual interest and concern. *Full communion partners of the ELCA are: Presbyterian Church (USA); Reformed Church in America; United Church of Christ; Episcopal Church; Moravian Church, United Methodist Church” (LSSND BOD Faith and Public Life Committee-Minutes, April 12, 2018).

For the reasons stated above the North Dakota District of the LCMS is no longer involved with LSSND and LSSND has decided not to continue as an RSO of the LCMS.

This does not mean that we do not continue to reach out in mercy and love to meet the needs of those who are suffering, poor, sick or lonely and address human, social, economic, educational, and spiritual needs. We may continue to do this by support of LCMS World Relief, LCMS Disaster Response, individually reaching out to the neighbor in need, and support of our district missions (UND and NDSU Campus Ministry, Watford City Church start, Christ Care for Kenya Children, and Chile Mission support) who deliver God’s Word and Sacraments for spiritual needs.

This has been an article to inform you, and I leave you with these Words of God: From John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” And Galatians 6:10, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Arie Bertsch

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Baptism

Why do we have baptisms during church service and why is the Baptismal Font front and center?

Whenever possible, baptisms should take place in the regular worship service of the congregation. The child is being baptized into the family of Christ, of which the congregation is, and it only makes sense to have as many of the family members present as possible to witness this special event. Through baptism, the child is now a member of the congregation and the congregation’s care, prayers, and support are a valuable resource for the future of this member remaining a member.

When private baptisms become a norm in a church, the congregation is robbed of the privilege of celebrating the event, and the child is robbed of the prayers, concern, and promise of a committed church.

A congregation, along with the sponsors and parents, are making a pledge and promise to see to it that this child is brought to church to know, trust, and believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, of which this child is baptized into (Romans 6:3-5). Usually, this bringing to the church first falls on the responsibility of the parents, then the sponsors, and finally on the congregation.

Baptism is not magic. It is a gift from God. In baptism, God gives the Holy Spirit which plants the seed of faith. God then assigns the parents, the sponsors, and the congregation the task of being good gardeners. They are to nurture and water the seed of faith.

To every congregation, God is saying: “Take care of this precious gift. Do everything in your power to see that he/she grows up to know My love!” The congregation, which is made up of individuals, is especially promising, to the best of its ability, to furnish training through the continuing of the church for Worship Service, Sunday School, Confirmation, and Bible Studies. This is a commitment of individual people as a whole to support the church financially and in service for the furthering of God’s kingdom.

Concerning the second part of the question, the furnishings of a church state the theology of the church. The theology of a church is what it believes, teaches, and confesses. Baptism is a very central part of God’s grace on us. It is a gift and God’s work on us. The saving Gospel is never what we do but what God has done for us. In baptism, God has given us faith and connected us with Jesus death and resurrection. That means that we cannot die and we will be raised from the grave. What is more central than this for your salvation? Nothing!

My hope and prayer for you is that you continue to grow in the faith of Jesus Christ in whom you have been baptized and that it is ever front and center in your lives.

Every Tongue Confess

Some have asked, “What do you do as district president?” Now I didn’t take it to mean that I am doing nothing; but rather, that they had no idea what it is that I do. Well, I believe that Philippians 2:9-10 sums it up pretty accurately. It reads, “Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The North Dakota District pastors and congregations have called me to oversee that the ministry here in the North Dakota District of the LCMS is working towards “every tongue confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Therefore, I visit and encourage the pastors and the congregations that “every tongue is confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” That is done by listening to the pastors teach and preach and seeing how the congregations are responding to that preaching and teaching.

Also, I do ordinations and installations of the pastors and commissioned workers (that God has called through the body of Christ, the congregations) to serve His people.

Another part of my position is to see that what has been decided in convention (through resolutions) is accomplished. This is half of my work. For, our district congregations and pastors have stated that we want to support missions, “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Our missions to accomplish this every tongue confessing entail the campus ministries of UND and NDSU, aid to students entering church work, the mission start in Watford City, Care of Kenya Children, and mission support to Chile.

These missions of our district are in two different groups. One group is the ongoing ministries we have had in the district for as long as I can remember. They would be the campus ministries of UND and NDSU and aid to students entering church work. The other group is those resolutions we have recently said we would support and are the mission start in Watford City, Care of Kenya Children, and mission support to Chile.

The difficulty in supporting these ongoing and mission resolutions is that congregational giving to the district has not increased enough to meet those desires. Congregational giving has been a flat line for the past 20 years.

Therefore, I am visiting congregations to encourage the support of what it is we said we are going to do as the body of Christ here in the North Dakota District. I am guessing that many of you did not know the facts I have just laid out for you. So I am asking for all of you individually to help me see that these missions are financially aided. You can each help in accomplishing this by simply starting with yourself. Look at what you gave as you have been blessed by the Lord last year and challenge yourself to add a half-percent or one-percent to it. It will help your church and in turn, look at what it is that your church gives to the district. Are they at a set amount or a percentage? I would hope that they would be at a percentage as you are. It’s called “First-fruits giving.” You are only giving a percent of the “First-fruits” of what the Lord has blessed you with and the church also could look at increasing their percentage by a half or one percent. A one-percent increase of congregational giving would cover these missions we desire to support. Or, if you have a heart for more of one mission than another, you can still give it to the church labeled for that mission. Notice, that I am not stating that you take from your general offering to the church but rather that you challenge yourself to contribute more for these missions that we said we would support.

For your information: The district, in turn, gives of the “first-fruits” (38%) from the congregations to Synod.

Tami Ulland, (the district business manager) and her daughter Haley, along with my wife Doris and I went to Chile in May. We were able to see and observe the mission there to bring to you the importance of the work they are doing there and the reason for our support.

“so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Tami and I are looking forward to coming to your congregation to do a presentation on all of this. Ask your pastor or group to call us. For as Paul writes to the Philippians prior to what I have been quoting, 2:1-8, “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” This was for the forgiveness of your sins, and where there is the forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation; your life and salvation.

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Arie D. Bertsch

ND District President

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